I think the high resolution aerial photo shows another high-end house
under construction. Most of the light-colored area is the lot and the
house sits at the east end. Note the nice windows set into the south
roof!
BJB
--- In BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com, "aletheiak" <aletheiak@y...> wrote:
> further observations
>
> the potomac heritage trail detour avoids an unknown number of
> obstacles at river level in the mile or so between the mouth of
> pimmit run & the descent from fort marcy
>
> some of these obstacles could lie upstream of dcmdvan & some
> below
>
> or there could be fairly unobstructed access to dcmdvan along
> the bank in one direction
> or
> the other
>
> but i do seem to recall now that my decision to drop directly
> down the cliff was partly based on having observed significant
> impediments all along the right bank
> in the course of a previous approach from the left bank
>
> & a probably most significant obstacle just downstream
>
> exactly the kind of thing a heritage trail might want to skip
>
> add to this belated recollection the fact that the topo shows the
> descent from fort marcy to be more gradual than any other
> i am exultant to think we may have just discovered a new & most
> propitious available approach route here
>
> down the bank from upstream
>
> rather than up the bank from chain bridge
>
> & least of all down the cliff
>
> --- In BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com, "aletheiak"
> <aletheiak@y...> wrote:
> > insertions ahead
> >
> > --- In BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com, "lowellgmcmanus"
> > <mcmanus71496@m...> wrote:
> > > If you will go to the extreme close-up April 2002 "Urban
> Areas"
> > > color aerial photo at http://tinyurl.com/3kko5 , you will see the
> > > area of the tripoint. These urban photos allow you to zoom in
> > > several steps closer than most on the web.
> >
> > yes great source thanx
> >
> > > You can see Virginia 123 curving across the lower left
> quadrant
> > of
> > > the photo. Note the large complex of buildings that seems to
> > be
> > > under construction at the bottom. It might be even
> commercial
> > > rather than residential. I believe rather strongly that the
> > > northwestern wall of this complex is up against the boundary
> > between
> > > Arlington and Fairfax Counties, the complex being in
> Arlington.
> >
> > it is almost undoubtedly parallel to arfa but most probably at a
> > short remove from it rather than directly up against it
> > since constructing anything directly up against a property line
> is
> > usually forbidden by suburban building codes
> >
> > my guess is the offset here should be at least 3 feet
> >
> > but we might do equally well using the pavement change &
> > welcome signs on route 123
> > & then following the blue ribboned survey stakes from there
> > if indeed they are still in place along the combined property &
> > county line
> > all the way to the top of the cliff where they end
> > & then eyeballing back up toward them from the base of the
> cliff
> > in order to continue the alignment to waters edge
> >
> > or at least that was my technique back then
> >
> > but it must be said
> > that try was only approximate because i could only see the last
> > blue ribbon position from the river bank
> > whereas at least 2 ribbons in view at once would of course be
> > needed for anything resembling a true alignment
> >
> > & i never found the wm1 marker on that alignment
> >
> > indeed i never recovered it at all
> >
> > of course my try was correctly focused on the low water line
> > so no wonder i missed or overlooked it at the high water line
> >
> > but a more careful reading of the topo & bus&ss would have
> told
> > me even back then that i wasnt ultimately looking for dcva wm1
> > anyway & not at any water line
> > since it is not the dcmdvan marker
> > but only the next best thing to dcmdvan
> >
> > still
> > the retry obviously needs to focus first on recovering this
> marker
> > precisely because it will suggest or actually indicate the best
> > available alignment of dcmd
> > & from a distance of only 1 tripointing stitch away from
> dcmdvan
> > rather than from all the way over the horizon
> >
> > > Since that boundary is the vestigial DCVA boundary, it will
> align
> > > perfectly with the DCMD boundary coming from across the
> > river.
> >
> > the boundary will but as noted probably not the building
> >
> > > Perhaps this will be of help in finding the precise area of the
> > > river bank. You can click the image to zoom in one more step
> > for
> > > the closest view of all.
> > >
> > > The web site at http://www.deepwater.org/trails/#phtrail says
> > that
> > > there is access to the Potomac Heritage Trail at "Pimmit Run
> > (at
> > > Chain Bridge)" [in Arlington County], and that the "trail follows
> > > Pimmit Run for a short distance before a low-water crossing
> > into
> > > Fort Marcy Park" [in Fairfax County]. Thus, the trail crosses
> the
> > > county line over 300 yards away--and across a ridge--from
> the
> > > tripoint on the river bank.
> >
> > good finding
> >
> > so thats a dead end
> >
> > but fortunately your new improved aerial view does give us a
> > great peek & some hope at least of walking up the right bank of
> > the potomac from the mouth of pimmit run anyway
> > just as mike & i imagined the trail might do for us
> > except on our own
> >
> > for even if this route is too hairy for a regular hiking trail to
> follow
> > it might still be a tad less hairy than trespassing down the cliff
> >
> > end inserts
> >
> > > Lowell G. McManus
> > > Leesville, Louisiana, USA
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com, "aletheiak"
> > <aletheiak@y...>
> > > wrote:
> > > > i saw that in the trail blurb & on the topo too
> > > > & figured it must be so
> > > > even tho the trail is named for the river
> > > > & even tho it sounds & looks fully 500 feet off its course
> there
> > > >
> > > > but the first thing the blurb says is
> > > > this trail extends along the bank of the river
> > > >
> > > > & the trail is also shown hugging the bank
> > > > everywhere else on the map accompanying the blurb
> > > >
> > > > so rather than interpreting these remarks as conflicting
> > > > i am guessing that the bit about the george washington
> > parkway
> > > > overpass must refer to a small local displacement that the
> > trail
> > > > makes from the bank in order to get around the mouth of
> the
> > little
> > > > pimmit run feeder stream there
> > > >
> > > > or maybe it is just an incomplete instruction for how to
> wend
> > > > ones way down from the higher chain bridge causeway
> level
> > to
> > > > river level via the declivity of the feeder stream
> > > >
> > > > but time will tell
> > > > & the cliff & rich homes are of course still there if we need
> > them
> > > >
> > > > parking is a bitch in that neighborhood tho
> > > >
> > > > will you be joining us please
> > > >
> > > > --- In BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com, "bjbutlerus"
> > > > <bjbutler@b...> wrote:
> > > > > The description of the Potomac Heitage Trail at
> > > > > http://www.washdc.org/trail8.html says that west of the
> > Chain
> > > > Bridge,
> > > > > the trail is located beneath the high overpass carrying the
> > > > George
> > > > > Washington Parkway. This seems to place the trail about
> a
> > > > quarter of
> > > > > a mile west of the Potomac River and, worse, west of
> > Pimmit
> > > > Run and
> > > > > Chain Bridge Road. The previously mentioned "rich
> > homes"
> > > > are on the
> > > > > east side of Chain Bridge Road (VA 123). Therefore I
> don't
> > > > think the
> > > > > existence of the Potomac Heritage Trail says anything
> > about
> > > > the
> > > > > public/private status of the riverbank, nor does it provide
> > any
> > > > > improvement in access to DCMDVAN. Topozonic details
> at:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> >
> http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=38.931&lon=-77.1204&s
> > > > =24&size=m&symshow=n&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25
> > > > >
> > > > > BJB